Doki-Doki Universe is a charming interactive game world that takes you on a journey to explore the concept of humanity

Travel to uniquely themed planets and asteroids to meet some of the most bizarre characters in an effort to learn more about them and even yourself along the way.

Future proof

In Doki-Doki Universe you play as QT3, a lovable robot who finds himself rendered obsolete by technological advances.

Dumped on an asteroid by his human owners, QT3 waits 32 years with only a chatty red balloon for company - until one day he's recovered by an Alien Jeff from the robot factory, who offers him the chance to avoid the scrapheap... by proving he has the capacity for humanity. To do so, QT3 has to do a spot of planet-hopping, visiting various weird and wonderful worlds and engaging with their inhabitants in an effort to learn what humanity is all about.

A cute, quirky game packed with puzzles, humour and wacky characters, Doki-Doki Universe is an experience unlike any other: bold, bizarre and brilliantly warm-hearted. If QT3's story doesn't bring a smile to your face, nothing will.

Toon time

Doki-Doki Universe echoes the eccentric charm of an indie cartoon strip. Visually, the game is totally unique, with each planet and its characters crisply rendered in vibrant 2D. The result is an experience that looks fresh, fun and very inviting.

The music and sound effects are great, too, with a delightful instrumental soundtrack, and cute little squeaks and warbles when characters speak. It makes for a wonderfully welcoming atmosphere.

This thoughtful design also extends to the menu system used to control QT3's interactions. Actions and options are accessed via an assortment of picture symbols. When selected, these explode into sub-menus containing huge ranges of objects to use or subjects to chat about. Pretty soon you'll be having just as much fun exploring the menus as performing the actions themselves.

Robot rock

QT3 may be the star of the show, but one of the best things about Doki-Doki Universe is the sheer number of entertaining characters he meets on his travels.

From the moustachioed therapist who helps guide QT3's understanding of human behaviour, to the sweet-natured red balloon who follows him wherever he goes, our robot chum is never stuck for someone to talk to. And though some characters may seem aggressive at first, QT3's growing awareness of human emotions means he can usually find a way to win them over, whether it's by performing a polite gesture or giving them a much-wanted gift.

In fact, puzzling out how to befriend new characters is half the fun of the game. The result is a riotously unpredictable experience filled with laugh-out-loud interactions. Pretty soon you'll feel deeply invested in QT3's quest - and you'll have made lots of new friends along the way. How often does a game manage that?

Universal traveller

Doki-Doki Universe centres on exploration and puzzle-solving. Your job is to guide QT3 around a series of oddball planets collecting interesting artefacts and learning about the curious characters you meet; find out what makes them tick and you just might keep QT3 from the junkyard.

The tasks you face along the way are hugely varied, from exercising with a scrawny kid to riding a winged lump of cheese - and the constant stream of wildly engaging scenarios ensures that there's always something to look forward to. What's great is how Doki-Doki Universe manages to make such a diverse experience flow so smoothly. Pretty soon you'll be a dab hand at decoding characters' emotional needs and earning the rewards that come with making new friends.

Another bonus is the way the game takes advantage of motion sensitive controls to immerse you completely into QT3's crazy world, while providing cross-buy and cross-save functionality across both PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita. Purchase the game on one system and you'll automatically be able to download and play it on another. As QT3 might say, "WOWSER!!!"